[wingide-users] Set 'main' file from context menu

[Michael Hipp]

Wingware Support wrote:
> Michael Hipp wrote:
>> Wingware Support wrote:
>>> I removed it from the project context menu thinking that cases like 
>>> yours
>>> would be covered by not setting a main debug file at all and just 
>>> letting
>>> Wing debug the current file and/or using the Debug Recent menu in the 
>>> Debug
>>> menu.
>>>
>>> If those don't cover your case, please let us know.  I think having
>>> this in the project context menu was somewhat of a GUI design mistake,
>>> but it may be we need another way to do this if Debug Recent isn't
>>> helpful.
>>
>> Thanks. I definitely believe it doesn't meet my use case.
>>
>> Here's my scenario: I'm trying to refactor / create / test some 
>> feature. So I create a file that activates that feature by whatever 
>> "shortcut" I can cobble up to force it to run. Once the "test" file is 
>> created all the work is then done in files scattered across the 
>> project and its subdirs.  The "test" file may be the only thing I run 
>> for a few hours or days until I'm done with it. But I'm not editing it 
>> much so "run current file" doesn't help.
> 
> Just to beat this to death:  Would it be better if you had some sort of
> debug launch tool?  I have been thinking about doing that also as a way
> to better manage multiple launch configurations for the same file (for
> example sending different parameters to it) among other things.  You
> would be able to set up your debug entry points in that tool and just
> click on them to select one to launch.  There would be also a way to
> set main debug file here.

Hard to say as I probably don't have a good concept of what you're imagining. 
An easy simple click-one-button to launch in different configuration could be 
really helpful. But if it takes much work to set it up it will likely lay 
fallow. The mental process tends toward always thinking of setting up something 
quick and dirty so don't put a lot of effort into it for this quick test I need 
to run and only realize hours or days later how much actual work I've put into 
it. i.e. Too easy to avoid things where the effort is front loaded.


> In any case, in 3.2 I'll just re-add the project context item.

Thanks. I still believe this is the right thing to do even if more 
sophisticated tools are available.


>  > Note that this use case is testing GUI features (wxPython specifically)
>  > so this isn't a function of unit testing and I don't think that feature
>  > set is applicable.
> 
> As an aside I'll just note that we do our GUI testing also via the unit
> testing tool and I don't think unit testing has to necessarily omit
> gui testing code.

As a late convert to unit testing I'm the least qualified to write about it. 
But ...

I'm still looking for a useful GUI testing tool and part of me seems comforted 
to think that such a thing is near impossible to exist.

That's a roundabout way of saying I'd like to hear more.

Michael